Samuel b



No. 620,577. Patented Mar. 7, I899.

S. B. FOWLER.

Annuncmonp- (App!ication filed Oct. 25, 1898.;

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. FOWLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ANNUNCIATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,577, dated March 7,1899.-

Application filed October 25, 1898. Serial No. 694,510. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York, (Tarrytowm) in the county of \Vestc'hester, Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAnnunciators, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to electric'annunciators, and more especially tothe annunciators employed in telephone systems to indicate to theoperator at the exchange the number of the subscriber who calls.

One object is to make it practicable to employ illuminated drops whichwill quickly catch the eye of the operator without the expense andunreliability incident to the use of a small electric lamp for eachdrop.

Another object is to simplify the construction and arrangement oftelephone annunciator-boards and to reduce the cost of maintenance.

The invention is illustrated in a convenient and practical form, withseveral diiferent arrangements of the electrical connections, in theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a front view of a portionof an annunciator-board to which the improvements are applied. Fig. 2 isa vertical transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsection, on a larger scale, of one of the annunciator-tubes. Fig. 4 is adetail view, in horizontal section, on a plane indicated by the line at4: of Fig. 3, but on a larger scale. Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammaticviews representing electrical connections which pertain to the inventionwhen an electric lamp is used as the source of illumination, twodifierent arrangements being indicated. Fig. 7 is a similar viewrepresenting the electrical connections when a continuously-lighted lampis used.

The improvements which constitute the subject-matter of this invention,considered apart from the source of illumination, are capable of useeither with a lamp which is continuously lighted or with a lamp which islighted at each call, the lamp in the former case being either electricor oil or gas, and the lamp in the latter case being electric.

The so urce of illumination, moreover, of whatever kind, may obviouslybe so located with illumination or lamp is shown as an electric lamp A,situated in rear of the drops, so that the light shall shine through thesame from the rear. In the arrangements of electrical connections shownin Figs. 5 and 6 the lamp A is not continuously lighted, but is lightedat each call, while for the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 the lamp (notshown in said figure) would be continuously lighted. In either case asingle lamp A illuminates a large num* ber of drops, a few only beingshown in the drawings.

The board B is supported or arranged in any usual or suitable manner andcarries the usual jacks C, by'means of which and the usual plugs (notshown) the desired connections between different subscribers areeffected. The drops, so called, corresponding to the several jacks andelectrically connect-ed with each subscriber, as usual, are indicated atD. As shown, each drop consists of a tube d, about which is wounda coilof wire d, which is in circuit with the subscribers instrument. Securedto the tube d is a sleeve or collar d of insulated material,

which furnishes a convenient support for a balanced shutter 61 which isslightly overweighted or otherwise caused to stand normally across thetube, excluding the light therefrom. The shutter is wholly or partly ofiron or other magnetic material, but at any rate has in its constructionso much of magnetic material that it is subject to the effect of thecurrent which passes about the tube d and in the field of which theshutter stands and will be deflected like the needle of a galvanometerfrom its normal position when current passes through the coil d and willbe caused to stand in a plane parallel with the axis of the tube, thuspermitting the light to pass through the tube. Under ordinary conditionsthe shutter will vibrate or flutter for a time before it comes to rest,thus alternately permitting and cutting off the passage of light,and-thereby more surely attracting the attention of the operator. At thefront end of the tube a suitable cap d supportsa piece of ground glass(Z upon which is painted the subscribers number, this ground-glassscreen being illuminated in the manner already described. The locationof the shutter between the screen and the lamp saves the necessity ofhaving any mechanism on the front of the board and makes the wholeconstruction more compact, besides saving considerable expense. Asuitable reflector E may be employed in connection with the lamp A, ifnecessary, to distribute the light more uniformly to the various dropswhich are intended to be illuminated from the same source.

In some cases it is preferable to have the lamp A lighted as each callcomes in rather than to have it lighted continuously. In such cases thelamp will of course be included in a local circuit, (indicated at a,)such local cir cuit having a switch a, which is normally open, but isadapted to complete the local circuit when acted upon by a relay R,which is included in the circuit with the coil d of the drop. This relayR is common to all of the drops illuminated by the lamp A. As indicatedin Fig. 5, it may be arranged in multiple with the several drop-coils d,or, as represented in Fig. 6, it may be arranged in series therewith. Ifan oil or other continuouslylighted lamp is used, the local circuit andrelay may be dispensed with, as indicated in Fig. 7.

The connections between each subscriber and the exchange may be arrangedas usual and are not necessary to be described in detail herein, asubscribers circuit being indicated at S in Fig. 5, the connectionsbetween the same and the drop being established through the jack 0 inthe usual manner. It may be added that in the multiple arrangementrepresented in Fig. 5 the resistance of each coil d is so proportionedto the resistance of the relay R that the current will divide,sufficient passing over the coil to operate the shutter and theremainder passing over the relay to close the lamp-circuit.

It will be obvious that various modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and that the inventiontherefore is not to be restricted to the precise construction andarrangement .shown and described herein.,

I claim as my invention-- 1. An annunciator-drop com prising atube, acoil about said tube and adapted to be included in an electrical circuitand a balanced shutter of magnetic material supported in the 3. Anannunciator comprising a coil adapted to be included in an electricalcircuit and having an axial opening for the passage of light, a sourceof light to illuminate said opening, and a shutter of magnetic materialhung within the field of said coil and normallyclosing the axial openingof the coil, whereby when current is passed through said coil theshutter is moved by the influence of the current in said coil to permitthe passage of light through said opening.

4. An annunciator comprisinga coil adapted to be included in anelectrical circuit and having an opening for the passage of light, alight-screen insaid opening, a source of light to illuminate saidscreen, and a shutter of' magnetic material hung within the field ofsaid coil, whereby when current is passed through said coil the shutteris moved by the influence of the current in said coil to permit thepassage of light to said screen.

5. In an annunciator, the combination with a source of light, of a tubeopen for the passage of light therethrough, a coil of wire about saidtube adapted to be included in an electrical circuit, and a shutter ofmagnetic material hung within the field of said coil and normallyclosing the opening through said tube, whereby when current is passedthrough said coil' the shutter is moved by the influence of the currentin said coil to permit the passage of light through said tube.

6. In an annunciator, the combination with a source of light, of a tubeopen for the pas sage of light therethrough, a light-screen at one endof said tube, a coil of wire about said tube adapted to be included inan electrical circuit, and a shutter of magnetic material hung withinthe field of said coil and nor mally closing the opening through saidtube, whereby when current is passed through said coil the shutter ismoved by the influence of the current in said coil to permit the passageof light through said tube upon said screen.

7. An annunciator-board comprising a series of coils adapted to beincluded in electrical circuits and having each an axial opening for thepassage of light, a common source of light to illuminate all of saidopenings, and

a shutter of magnetic material hung'within' the field of each of saidcoils and normally closing the axial opening of said coil, where by whencurrent is passed through said coil the shutter is moved by theinfluence of the current in said coil to permit the passage of lightthrough said opening.

8. The combination with a group of annun ciator-drops, of a source oflight common to all of said drops, a device for controlling said sourceof light, and electrical connections connecting all of said drops incircuit with said controlling device.

9. The combination with agroup of annunciator-drops, of a source oflight common to all of said drops, a local circuit in which said lightis included, a relay to control said local circuit, and electricalconnections connecting all of said drops in circuit with said relay.

10. The combination with a group of annunciator-drops comprising eachatube, a coil of wire around the tube, and abalanced shutter in thefield of said coil, of a source of light, common to all of said drops,adevice for controlling said source of light, and electrical

